Court gives bail to Raut and his associate in PMLA case, says his arrest was illegal
MUMBAI: Sanjay Raut and his associate Pravin Raut were released from Arthur Road jail on Wednesday after the special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court granted them bail, and the Bombay high court refused to stay their release from prison.
The PMLA court was scathing in its observation about the Enforcement Directorate’s probe in the Patrawala Chawl case, and held that the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader was arrested illegally “for no reason.” Raut spent a hundred days in jail.
Raut and his close friend Pravin, a former director in Guruashish Construction Private Limited, were arrested for alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl in Goregaon East.
On Wednesday, special judge in the PMLA court, MG Deshpande, held that there was no predicate offence which enable the ED to register an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and that there are no proceeds of crime (POC) established as required under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. “Prima facie there is absolutely nothing to show that whatever (money) received by Sanjay Raut (A5) is POC,” the court added. Pravin Raut’s arrest, the court said, was at best a civil matter while the Shiv Sena leader had been arrested for no reason. The court then went on to term their arrest illegal.
The court also refused to believe ED’s case against Sanjay Raut that he was involved in Patra Chawl redevelopment scam right from the conception of the project and that he brought in HDIL and its promoters Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and his son Sarang Wadhawan into the project.
ED lawyers later moved the Bombay high court for a stay on implementation of the bail order, but failed to get relief. “You expect us to pass orders after hearing you for a few minutes,” said single judge bench of justice Bharati Dangre, refusing to stay the order.
Welcoming the verdict, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said, “The tiger is back.
Later in the day, Sanjay Raut visited the memorial of Bal Thackeray and the Siddhivinayak Temple.